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“Did you forget you were supposed to o into town and have a look at old man Crull’s new black and tan?”

Flip took his hands and shook them “Scott!” she wailed

He freed his hands and put his arirl?”

She sniffed and looked up at hiet me”

“What? Who, the duke? Whatever for? After all this time? Well, upon my soul Why? What does he ith you? I don’t think I like this Sounds havey-cavey to me”

“Precisely Why would he co my majority? Scott, I think he wants to marry me off Take me to Swindon where I have no one to stand up for me and marry me off,” she said distractedly

“By Jove He can’t do that,” Scott objected

“Well, he thinks he can In his letter he says soht and that I should be safely wed by now I knohat it is He means to secure my fortune for one of his relatives”

“Well, really! That is too much,” Scott exclaih you were chattel?”

“Precisely I won’t go with hio with him, but he says in his letter that he will dismiss my servants if I put up a fuss He must be the uardian? He can’t take , can he? But I can’t allow him to dismiss anyone of my people … Scott, I must run away”

“Well, what suddenly got into him? Why now?”

“I told you Maybe he thought he had tie and my fortune will be in my hands—not his”

Scott frowned and shook his head “Why take this tone? What o with him?”

“He wrote me when I first lost Mama that as soon as he could he would come and fetch me I answered that I preferred to stay here and that I could not accept his very kind offer”

“What then?”